A. A member of the Commission or an employee of the Commission may accept a complaint from any source; provided, however, no complaint shall be accepted from an anonymous source.

B. Any person other than a member or an employee of the Commission who files a written complaint alleging a violation of any Rule shall (1) cite the Rule or Rules alleged to have been violated, (2) describe in detail the facts alleged to have caused a violation of a Rule to occur and the name of any individual involved in the alleged violation, (3) certify that he or she has personal knowledge of the facts alleged. It shall be a violation of these Rules for any person to willfully, knowingly and without probable cause make a false complaint alleging a violation of these Rules. A frivolous complaint shall be deemed to be a violation of these Rules by the person making the complaint. A frivolous complaint means the complaint was knowingly asserted in bad faith, was unsupported by any credible evidence, was not grounded in fact, or was unwarranted by existing law. Any person who files a written complaint shall, by doing so, submit to the jurisdiction of the Commission for purposes of this paragraph. It shall be a violation of these Rules for any state officer or employee to take action against any subordinate state officer or employee because the subordinate state officer or employee filed a complaint other than a false complaint or a frivolous complaint.

Promulgated by Ethics Commission January 10, 2014; effective upon Legislature’s sine die adjournment May 23, 2014; operative January 1, 2015.

Amendment promulgated by Ethics Commission January 9, 2015; effective upon sine die adjournment of the Legislature May 22, 2015; operative May 22, 2015.